{"id":22631,"date":"2014-11-03T00:30:35","date_gmt":"2014-11-03T05:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=22631"},"modified":"2014-11-02T19:46:13","modified_gmt":"2014-11-03T00:46:13","slug":"baked-ziti-greek-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/03\/baked-ziti-greek-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Baked Ziti…Greek Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

This recipe came about because I needed to use up some ground lamb. In our efforts to eat more healthy, quality foods, we have been trying to use better quality meats…especially ground meat. \u00a0But sometimes these items come along with a price tag that is steep! \u00a0(Y\u2019know?) \u00a0Last week, I came across some organic, grass-fed ground lamb at a really good price…oh, happy me! \u00a0But even happier hubby\u2014he just loves lamb! \u00a0And, maybe because it was cold and rainy, I thought it would be good basis for a real comfort food meal! \u00a0Thus…Baked Ziti, Greek Style!<\/p>\n

Now, this dish is a little<\/em> decadent as it has a bechamel (or white) sauce and uses a couple of cups of ricotta. However, the other cheeses included only add up to four (4) ounces. Just be sure to use really flavorful cheese, and grating it yourself will give you a nice melting product. So this dish fit well into our \u2018healthy but oh-so-yummy\u2019 POV since it has lots of veggies (onions, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, spinach) and uses a meat that is of a really good quality.<\/p>\n

Let me tell you, this recipe fills a huge casserole! I used a 4quart casserole which holds more than a 9X13 baking dish. And we got 8 generous servings (maybe 6 if you are feeding manly men!) out of it. \u00a0Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"2014-10-28<\/a><\/p>\n

Baked Ziti…Greek Style<\/span><\/h2>\n

ingredients<\/span><\/strong>:
\n2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
\n1 pound ground lamb
\na couple sprigs rosemary (or 1+1\/2 teaspoons dried chopped rosemary)
\n1 teaspoon dried marjoram (or oregano)
\nsea salt and freshly ground black pepper (I always use a lemon-pepper-salt combo)
\n1 large onion, finely chopped
\n6-8 ounces Baby Bella mushroom, chopped small
\n1 carrot, peeled and finely grated
\n3 (or more!) tablespoons chopped garlic (I use jarred)
\n1\/2 cup tomato paste
\n2 cups chicken stock
\n1 cup dry red win<\/p>\n

1 pound macaroni (I used GF rotini)
\n16 ounce bag of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
\nbechamel sauce
\n2 tablespoons butter
\n2 rounded tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used GF all-purpose)
\n1 cup milk (I used coconut milk)
\n1 cup chicken broth
\nFreshly ground black pepper
\nFreshly grated nutmeg (just a bit!)<\/p>\n

2 cups ricotta cheese
\ndried oregano
\n4 ounces freshly shredded cheese (I used smoked gouda and a really sharp white cheddar)
\ndirections<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

for the meat sauce<\/em>:<\/p>\n